Shopsmith Forums

I had to order some new seals for my DC and decided to upgrade the filter hood. I didn't upgrade all the way to the tallest hood. However, I got the tall filter hood (item #300008).

Can't wait for the weekend so I can replace the seals, put the new hood on, and a clean bag. I miss my DC and its only been a little less than two weeks.

Did you receive the hood already, or is it back-ordered? I agree that the DC is a great addition, but don't rely solely on it. I also wear a mask because the DC can't catch everything. I hope to get an ambient air cleaner in the future to get that little stuff that just floats around in the air waiting for you to inhale it.

I just received it two days ago. Shipped quickly, no backorder. An air cleaner would be nice. I don't have one either at the moment.

Yeah, the dc can't collect everything, even less when the seals are almost gone. My dc is 14 yrs. old. The other week I happened to see one of the seals in the bag.

Tony

the guy that runs the toy makers group from our church bought a battery operated filtered dust mask for sanding operations this summer. I think it was about $400, but man is it amazing. It blows air across your fact through a filter that catches all the sanding dust . . . fabulous product.

As for the hood, I still open all the ports when I am doing sanding work that can't be sucked directly. It seems to clean the air much better then just waiting for the dust to settle. If I ever have to replace a hood, I will probably get a bigger one.

Last year I upgraded to the tallest bag. I keep telling my wonderful wife that I intend to add a filtration system as well. She has pointed out that we have no dust settling anywhere in the house. This was not the case with the shorter bag. I also notice the collection bags fill up much faster. For me this is a no brainer, get the 1 micron bag and breather better. Jim

With the 1-micron bag, the Shopsmith Dust Collector can be used as both a dust sucker and an air cleaner for a small shop, as I have said in other threads. Very clean, very healthy, but you still should not rely soley on it for air filtration, particularly when you're doing something that kicks up a lot of fine dust. Drew and I both like "positive pressure" dust masks. A small fan keeps your mouth and nose surrounded with filtered air at a slightly higher pressure than the air in the room. If the mask should seperate from your face for an instant, clean air will escape, no dust-laden air will get in.

Woodcraft sells one for $65. Check out http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?FamilyID=20033.

With all good wishes,